World through the aperture

Herons are pictured in a water pool formed after a rainy day near a construction ditch in the area of Dbayeh, near the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on February 19, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

A selection of photos shot recently from around the world:

Buddhist monks pray at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya Temple during a ceremony to commemorate Makha Bucha Day outside Bangkok, Thailand, on February 19, 2018. (Photo by Reuters)A general view of the illuminated Nikolaevsky Bridge across the Yenisei River in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, on February 19, 2019 (photo by Reuters)A man wearing a costume dives into a partly frozen lake in Shenyang, in China's northeastern Liaoning Province, on February 19, 2019. (Photo by AFP)Fabian Riessle of Germany soars through the air during a training session for the Nordic Combined event of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, on February 19, 2019. (Photo by AFP)The Super Snow Moon rises next to the Parthenon Temple at the Acropolis archaeological site in Athens, Greece, on February 19, 2019. (Photo by AFP)Eight-week-old lion cubs are let out for the first time in the Zoo in Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 19, 2019. (Photo by Reuters)This photo, taken on February 18, 2019, shows a Chinese blacksmith (L) throwing molten metal against a cold stone wall to create a shower of sparks, on the eve of the Lantern Festival, which marks the end of Lunar New Year celebrations, in Nuanquan, in China's northern Hebei Province. (By AFP)An array of lights brightens up the Forbidden City during a cultural event celebrating the Lantern Festival, the end to the Lunar New Year festivities, in Beijing, China, on February 19, 2019. (Photo by AFP)German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks to a carnival group, during a carnival reception at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on February 19, 2019. (Photo by AFP)This photo, taken on February 19, 2019, shows people watching a fireworks display during the Lantern Festival, which marks the end of Lunar New Year celebrations, in Dalian in China's northeastern Liaoning Province. (By AFP)An elephant decorated for the Perahera festival walks past the Gangarama Temple during a procession in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 18, 2019. (Photo by AFP)